A lot of Shanghai residents are genuinely baffled that other Chinese citizens consider them a curiosity. But it doesn't take much time elsewhere in the country to discover why exactly Shanghai bears the brunt of so many jokes. Not sure yourself? We think you'll understand after listening to our lesson for today, a gritty look at the wild side of the Shanghai streets. This is a lesson based on a true story: Brendan's personal experience running into a gang fight on the Shanghai metro.
johnb
said on March 16, 2010
I don't think I've ever heard a man, in anger, say 讨厌 in Shanghai. I'm sure it happens, but 讨厌 is a bit too effeminate for even girly Shanghaiese guys.
afriday11
said on March 18, 2010
Hey, I just got a membership today, and am excited to get going. Its funny because this morning we were taking to a coworker about 讨厌. We asked him if there were any sentences that a man could use taoyan. He said it would be ok if a man were to say 他妈讨厌的。。。
Is this correct， or maybe bad communication between us?
Thanks
Echo
said on March 18, 2010
@afriday11,Hey 周武(good name by the way)!Glad to see you on the site! 欢迎你！Haha, you can say 他妈的讨厌, or if you want to make it even stronger, you can say 真他妈的讨厌！However, “他妈的”is like "damn" in English, so you want to be careful when you use it.--Echoecho@popupchinese.com
paglino9
said on March 19, 2010
@AFriday11, Echo
I guess the masculinity of dropping a TMD bomb balances out the feminity of 讨厌.
Echo I'm curious if Chinese male 同性恋 use 讨厌 in regular speech. Maybe you comment on this.
Echo
said on March 20, 2010
@paglino9,
Haha, I don't have any 同性恋朋友, so I can't really answer your question. 不好意思啦~
--Echo
echo@popupchinese.com
scott
said on March 20, 2010
A friend used 讨厌 today in frustration. 他不是同性恋 -- 他是上海人！
Echo
said on March 22, 2010
@scott,
哈哈，你说的太经典了！
--Echo
echo@popupchinese.com
clckla
said on January 3, 2012
the thing i find hardest about this dialogue is the verb complement 到 - why is it better to say 你踩到我 rather than just 你踩我? does the second one even make sense? is this just the sort of thing you have to learn in context?
Echo
said on January 3, 2012
@clckla,Using 到 there is to emphasize the result -- someone has stepped on your foot. 你踩我 is grammatically correct too, but the meaning is a bit different. It could be someone tried to, but didn't successfully stepped onto your foot.--Echoecho@popupchinese.com
clckla
said on January 5, 2012
can 才 be used in a positive sense? For example, if someone says 你很聪明, could you reply 你才很聪明？
Echo
said on January 5, 2012
@clckla,Yes, you can, but you can't say 你才很聪明. Instead, you can say something like: 我不聪明，你才是真聪明！--Echoecho@popupchinese.com
clckla
said on January 5, 2012
Thanks - I know this is basic but why is the 是 required in the second clause? Is it only negatives and questions that don't need 是, or am I getting confused?
murrayjames
said on December 31, 2012
What does Brendan say at 9:29? Is it 狗日的 (the product of dog f**king)?
Echo
said on December 31, 2012
@clckla,The 是 there is to emphasize. It's like the difference between: 1 你踩了我的脚 (You stepped on my foot) 2 是你踩了我的脚 (It was you who stepped on my foot).@murrayjames,Yes....--Echoecho@popupchinese.com
minghan
said on January 3, 2013
Random question, what does the sentence patter "~才行" mean? For example: "星期五要比赛，我们得练习练习才行。" Is it different than the sentence patter "~就行"?
Echo
said on January 3, 2013
@minghan,It's the difference between 才 and 就. 星期五要比赛，我们得练习练习才行。It implies the contest may be difficult. We will only be OK if we practice.星期五要比赛，我们练习练习就行。It implies the contest isn't so difficult. Just a little bit practice will do.--Echoecho@popupchinese.com
